Vettel defends team after mix-up

Yeongam, South Korea, Oct 13, 2012 (AFP) - Sebastian Vettel defended his Red Bull team after failing to take a second pole position on the bounce on Saturday in South Korea, saying a mix-up on the radio was his fault.

After losing out to team-mate Mark Webber, Vettel could be heard on the radio following the final qualifying session questioning his engineer "Rocky" after the German lost vital time when he came up against the back of Felipe Massa.

Told afterwards that he looked bit miffed, Vettel, who is four points behind Fernando Alonso in the chase for the world title, said: "Ha! Is my face such an open book?"

He insisted: "No, there is not the slightest trace of annoyance. It was probably a bit of a misunderstanding on the team radio.

"I thought that Felipe was pitting but I don't believe that you can blame my lap time on Felipe or traffic in the last sector.

"It's true, it was not an ideal situation but if someone has to take the blame then it is me because I think that pole position was within reach today. "I probably lost it in the second sector -- and that's why it didn't work out.

Of course I am not entirely happy with that last lap, but it is going to be a long race with many uncertainties so everything is still possible."

Vettel, who came to South Korea after back-to-back victories in Singapore and Japan, added that they had spoken about traffic, "but my impression was that Felipe would pit -- and he didn't".

He added: "I think that I misunderstood Rocky, but it's no big deal."